On this trip to the movies I was joined by my friend, Craig. Both of us are well-versed in superhero movie pop-culture and were looking forward to this R rated Wolverine flick.

I’ve said it a million times. Hollywood needs to make an R-rated Wolverine movie. In the character’s past appearances, solo and otherwise, it’s always bugged me that a bad-tempered claw wielding nut like this would never spill a drop of blood, or swear, a lot. But in film after film, we get Hugh Jackman growling, slicing and stabbing, and everything remains PG-13 safe and clean. It just never made any sense to me.

But now, finally, we have Logan. A brooding and somber outing for the character, and certainly not your typical superhero movie. This film’s tone is more in line with Nolan’s Batman than a regular X-Men flick. There are no cute nods to the franchise, or fun cameos. This film isn’t ashamed of its comic book roots and doesn’t try to be self-aware of that fact. It’s simply a story about a tired man living with his demons, while dwelling on a past filled with violence and murder. And to make matters worse, he must see himself reflected in a young mutant that has similar abilities as him, right down to the adamantium claws and bad temper.

Logan is by far the best outing for the Wolverine character, but not the best X-Men film (that title still belongs to X-Men: First Class, in my humble opinion). It’s dour, occasionally moving, and a little slow at times. The film also didn’t need to be over two hours long. The cast is strong, especially Jackman and newcomer Dafne Keen, and the action sequences are bloody entertaining.

Movie Prep:

This isn’t for kids. Logan is rated R for violence, language and brief nudity.

Best Moment:

Professor Charles Xavier reacts to an attack and the result nearly kills everyone in a hotel. Logan struggles to reach the professor, and makes bloody mincemeat out of the troops sent to kidnap Laura (Dafne Keen).